Wednesday, April 20, 2011

So what is the missing piece? What is the reason so many drift off course? And, worse yet, give up trying to get back on course, because life has beaten them down and they’ve lost the desire to try. For many, the dream slowly fades away. A life of average and “stuck” is what lies ahead.

I believe there are two significant missing pieces that are almost always overlooked. One, a plan. The other, how we deal with our fears.

When I say plan, I don’t mean just any plan. I mean a life’s master plan filled with the goals and dreams you desire……all fueled by your WHY. You know, your WHY,….that burning desire to be and do whomever and whatever you were designed to be and do. That which motivates you to live knowing what you will be remembered for. The reason that people will be crying at your funeral. That which makes you whom God wants you to be.

Imagine each day filled with the opportunity to be working toward or IN your WHY. How would it feel to be looking forward to each day because you are right where you are supposed to be? Making a difference in people’s lives, or as I Iike to say, leaving and indelible mark. Imagine influencing the lives of those around you in such a positive way that it won’t ever be forgotten. That’s an indelible mark!

So how do you get there? For everyone it is a different journey. Some know from an very early age what it is they are destined for. If you were like me, up until just a few years ago, it was more of a “purpose didn’t really matter, I was upwardly mobile, living the dream (big house, nice cars, severely in debt), instant everything” kind of existence. Then things began to change. I began to see there were missing pieces to my own life’s puzzle.

If you’re not sure of your WHY, or are sure you’re not living with yours now, you can begin by asking yourself a few of these questions to help bring some clarity.

What do I like about myself?

What excites me?

What would I do for free?

What am I passionate about?

What do I want people to know I stand for?

What does that “Indelible Mark” look like for me?

What do I believe?

What will people say about me at my funeral?

These questions and their answers may lead to other questions, and then again, still more. But no matter how long it takes you, and how many questions and answers you ponder, know that there is a purpose. YOUR PURPOSE. YOUR WHY. If it took you twice or three times as long as you thought it would, even many years, but you then had a clear direction in life, would the time invested be worth it?

Before moving on, take time to assess where you are in your journey toward knowing your WHY. Are you there? Are you living where you want? How you want? With whom you want around you? If not, why not?

Seriously, take time to ask yourself these questions (and the others above) and begin to create or solidify your WHY.

Next it is False Evidence Appearing Real....recognizing and stepping through your fears.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Have you ever been frustrated about where you are going….or where you’re not going? Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Why am I here?” or “What am I passionate about?or even “How did I end up here?”

When were young we are wide eyed and living a life as if there is no tomorrow and we have incredible expectations about what’s ahead. Somewhere along the way it changes. That reckless abandon for life’s experiences gives way to the monotony of day to day existence that is a far cry from the wild unabashed “party” of a life we thought we would have. We yearn for it, but sometimes the harder we try to capture it, the further away it seems to get. That reality we wanted and dreamed for becomes nothing more than a thought from the past drifting further away each day.

Life’s circumstances change the direction we head and without the proper rudder we begin to drift off course. Because it happens ever so slightly, bit by bit, day by day, it is virtually unnoticeable until one day we seemingly wake up driving an old pile of &$%#* car, and living in a studio apartment with a borderline psycho roommate, just to make ends meet.And we find ourselves saying things like “This isn’t what I signed up for”, “Is this it?”, etc.

Sound familiar? Well, maybe not the Yugo, but I bet there are situations you wished were different. Things you wish you could redo? Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a “Do Over” in this life?

Stay tuned for more as we dig into this further and ask the question, “Which is most important….Who, What, Where or Why?” and what we can do about it to live the life we all desire.